A/N: Chapter 13! Unlucky 13! This is the last chapter! And an extremely long one at that. I just want to take a moment to thanks those who have read this far. I really appreciate your comments and critiques. I want to apologize for how long it's taken to get this chapter online. I tried for weeks, but just wouldn't upload it till now. So here it is!

I spoke to my brother about how Quistis is on the verge of being fired and he said it wasn't entirely believable. But I hope that this being a world different from ours, it is at least acceptable as a plot device. :P

The title of this chapter is a song by Opeth.

Dementia

Chapter 13: Death Whispered a Lullaby

Out on the road there are fireflies circling
Deep in the woods, where the lost souls hide
Over the hill there are men returning
Trying to find some peace of mind

Sleep my child

- Opeth

Day 1

Sora groaned as he rolled over, feeling stiff and tired. He slowly entered the land of consciousness. His memory was hazy. He couldn't recall what had transpired over the past few hours. With blurred vision, he examined his surroundings. Everything around him was white. But it wasn't a pure white like Naminé's room in Twilight Town. It was a sort of creamy beige white. As things began to come into focus and his vision improved, he could tell the walls weren't quite walls. They were like… pillows.

Padded… walls?

Panic rose in him, beginning in his stomach and rising in his throat like bile. He was in a padded room. What's more, he felt restrained and uncomfortable. Looking down, he was shocked to see his upper torso encased in a straight jacket. He cried out in dismay and surprise, immediately tossing and turning, trying to break free from his restraints. It was as if his worse nightmare were coming true. He had spiraled into madness enough that he was being treated like insane people from the movies. Upon hearing his cries, the single door in the room opened and Quistis walked in.

"Calm down!" she urged. "Just relax!"

"What is this?" Sora yelled, attempting to sit up but failing. "Where am I? Why am I here? Why am I wearing this? What happened!"

"Sora, please try to calm down," Quistis replied, sitting next to him and helping him sit up. "This wasn't my idea. The head of the hospital, Dr. Magus, insisted we put you in restraints."

"Why?! What did I do?" Panic and fear was written all over Sora's face and for the first time, Quistis saw him as a child.

"You didn't do anything." She pursed her lips and continued, now that Sora had calmed down somewhat. "What do you remember?" Sora's eyes scanned the floor as if they contained his memories.

"I… I had an appointment with you. I got there and you put me to sleep." He thought about it some more. "That's all I remember." Quistis let out a heavy sigh.

"Everything was going fine until… Roxas broke free." Sora froze.

Roxas…? Oh no…

"What did he do?" he asked slowly. "He didn't hurt anyone, did he?"

"One orderly has a concussion. He'll recover soon enough. And Garnet was shaken up a little, but other than that, no one was seriously hurt." Sora examined Quistis suspiciously. She was sporting a bandage on her forehead.

"And you?" he asked. "What did he do to you?" Quistis was hesitant to reply. "Please, I have to know."

Sighing, she replied, "He… threw me into a bookshelf. But I'm fine!" she added the last part quickly to reassure Sora. "Just a few cuts and bruises. I've had much worse."

"I'm sorry…"

"Why? It's not your fault. If anything, it's my fault. I didn't anticipate the results of the pills I gave you. I naturally assumed they'd suppress Roxas, not you. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"But if I was stronger, then I would have been able to keep Roxas at bay. I'm to blame."

"You know, we could sit here all day and play the blame game, but it won't get us anywhere. You can't change the past. We can work towards changing the future, make sure this never happens again."

"And this straight jacket will ensure that?"

"I'm really sorry about that. Dr. Magus gave me no choice. It was either this or they were gonna take you away to prison."

"What's the difference?" Sora asked sadly, his head downcast. "It's all the same now."

"The difference is that here, you don't have to worry about dropping the soap in the shower." Quistis winked at Sora to cheer him up. Sora cracked a weak grin.

"I suppose that's the bright side…" He pressed his back up against the padded wall and looked up. "So now what?"

"Well…" Another thing she was hesitant to tell him. "In order to get Dr. Magus to keep you here, I agreed to make some significant progress with you in the next three days. That's all we've got, otherwise they'll come to take you away."

"Then what are we waiting for? Hypnotize me!"

"It's not that simple anymore. I have something else I need to tell you. It's about the pills I prescribed you." Sora nodded impatiently, urging her to continue. "You can't take them anymore. They're having the reverse affect I wanted. However, without the pills, you're going to start hallucinating again. Do you understand?" Sora frowned and considered his options. Three days of terrifying hallucinations or a lifetime of being in a dank holding cell with a cellmate named Burly Bob.

"Take me off the pills."

OOOoooOOO

A few hours had gone by since Quistis' visit. She explained that they needed time for Sora's last dose of pills to wear off before she could begin her sessions with him again. She warned him that they would be strenuous as they dug deeper into his memories. One request that Sora made was that Riku not be informed of the new development and that he not be allowed to visit. The last thing Sora wanted was for his best friend to see him in such a degrading and pathetic state.

"Tell him I'm sleeping," he had requested, which Quistis obliged without question. It was only three days after all. If they succeeded in curing Sora's mind, then he could go on living his life like before. But if they didn't make any progress, it wouldn't matter. Riku would have to be informed sooner or later that Sora was being taken away.

At the present moment, Sora was bored out of his mind. It was difficult to tell the time, but judging by his recent meal of sandwiches, delivered by an extremely nervous orderly, he guessed it was early afternoon. There was nothing for him to do but wait for his sessions with Quistis. The room had no windows and the door was a solid slab of concrete with a sliding panel near the top for the orderlies on the other side to look in. With his jacket on, Sora could barely move, and even if he could, he couldn't imagine what he'd do. He began wondering when the last time he took any pills.

Must've been yesterday, around noon. When I was still allowed to roam among the semi-normal patients.

That would explain why his room was disappearing into a vortex in the roof.

High above Sora's head, something only he could see, a black vortex was spinning slowly, continually pulling the ceiling in but never succeeding. Sora would have been impressed if he weren't scared out of his wits.

I can do this. He reassured himself. I can deal with a few hallucinations. I know they're not real.

To counteract the buzzing noise beginning to sound from the vision above his head, Sora began humming loudly. The buzzing grew louder, as if it were competing for dominance in the room. Sora became louder. The buzzing formed whispers that seemed to scream and hiss in his ears. Sora began singing. The whispers turned to shrieks of anguish and pain. Sora could take no more.

"SHUT UP! FOR GOD SAKE!" he yelled out. The screams stopped at once. "Jeez, you think this is funny, Roxas? You think I'm playing?" He waiting for a response, not entirely convinced he'd get one.

"Oh yeah, this is hilarious," said that familiar cold voice. Sora rolled to the side and came face to face with his Other. Roxas was wearing a straight jacket similar to Sora's, but his was decorated with a check pattern stripe. "I'm laughing on the inside."

"What do you want?" Sora asked.

"For you to suffer."

"Why?"

"Because you killed the one person who ever meant anything to me."

"Axel?"

"NAMINÉ, you jackass!" If looks could kill, Sora would've been a pile of ashes at that moment. "Now look who's playing around!"

"Anything to keep myself sane."

"Aren't we a little past that now?"

"Your jacket looks better than mine." Roxas growled at Sora's foolishness and stood up effortlessly. He summoned the Oathkeeper and Oblivion, using them to slice through his restraints.

"You can do this too." He was trying to goad Sora into escaping again. Sora sniffed and turned away.

"I'm well aware." He knew that if he really, really wanted to he could escape no problem. He could drive into his Final form and use the Keyblades to slice through the jacket. He could take on every single guard in the building, guns or no guns. He could disappear from the islands and no one would ever hear from him again. But for those reasons, he chose to stay. Who would help him if he ran away?

"Then why don't you? Why not start by killing the guy behind this door? I heard that after you kill someone for the first time, it gets easier after that. You should have no problem." Sora ignored Roxas' words. "C'mon, I know you want to leave."

"Clearly you don't know me that well at all."

"You're my Other. I know you better than you know yourself. I know you blame yourself for the night of the accident. I know you hate yourself for what you've done. And your hate has become my hate." Sora blinked a few times before turning to look at Roxas once more.

"You hate me because I hate me? So if I stopped hating myself, you'd stop?"

"It's too late for that. I've already developed my own hatred for you." Sora turned away. For a moment, everything made sense, but he just lost it. Nothing ever made sense when it came to Roxas. Ever since he discovered he even had a Nobody, nothing ever made sense.

"Just go away."

"Kill the guards. Leave the asylum." The wall that Sora was facing began turning red as blood soaked through from an unknown source.

"Go away." Sora blinked as a few droplets of blood splashed on his face.

"Kill your friends. You've already got one off your list." On the floor, the word 'Murderer' appeared.

"SHUT UP!" Sora clenched his eyes shut. "Shut up, I didn't kill her on purpose!"

"Go kill Quistis."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" It was so hard to ignore Roxas when he was whispering right in Sora's ear.

"Why not just kill yourself, get it over with?" Sora froze, his eyes opening wide. It scared him that a part of him was seriously considering it.

"No!" He struggled to get away from Roxas. "No, I'm not suicidal! Go away!"

"Then let me do it."

"Stop it!" Roxas advanced on Sora with his Keyblades drawn. Sora backed into the wall, feeling the blood in the padding soak through his straight jacket.

"It'll be quick, I promise," Roxas said in a low voice.

"GUARDS!" Sora fought hard to get his body on his feet. Using the wall for support, he forced all his weight on his legs and managed to get himself up. Roxas was still approaching slowly, raising the Oblivion over his shoulder to strike. "You can't hurt me! You're not real!"

"So you think. Wanna risk it?" He lashed out with the Oblivion, just barely missing Sora and striking the wall while Sora ducked out of the way, running to the other side of the room.

"Somebody help!" Roxas regained his composure and swung out again at Sora.

"Stop being pathetic! You can get that jacket off no problem! Do it! Fight me!"

"HELP!" Sora ducked again as the dark Keyblade narrowly missed his head. He leapt to the side when Roxas jabbed the Oathkeeper forward aiming for his chest. "Somebody!" It sounded like a crowd of people were standing just outside the door, talking loudly. Sora couldn't understand why they weren't helping him. But then again, Sora couldn't be sure if they were real. He dodged Roxas' attacks a few more times. The voices were getting louder. They sounded like they were cheering. Looking around, Sora found himself in an arena, surrounded by a huge audience, the spotlights blinding him momentarily. He was in a stadium like some kind of boxer. The audience was screaming with praise for both fighters. It was deafening and exhilarating all at the same time. Some were holding signs that said things like 'Sora 4 Life!' and 'Roxas champion!' Sora couldn't help but gaped at the scene around him. It was so vivid and real.

His attention was brought back to Roxas when the blonde sliced at him again with the lighter Keyblade. The crowd was chanting something unintelligible. Sora couldn't focus through the confusion. The chanting became clearer as the audience picked up on a steady rhythm.

"Final form! Final form! Final form!" Sora looked around, feeling lightheaded. His world was spinning! Roxas was still attacking. The Keyblade wielder had no choice. It was fight or die. He had to drive into his Final Form or he'd be killed. He could feel the magic building up. The crowd was going wild. Roxas grinned in anticipation and readied himself for a real battle. Sora felt excited. He was going to give the crowd one hell of a show. He stumbled as his world stopped moving. He was on the verge of a drive when suddenly…

"SORA NO!" Sora blinked. Somewhere in the audience, there was a flicker of red hair and pink fabric. "DON'T DO IT!" He tried to focus. Was it her? Was it Kairi? He felt his legs go weak and he collapsed to his knees, the magic and adrenaline draining out of him.

"Kairi?" he called out.

"I'm afraid not." The audience disappeared. The shouts and cheers were gone. The spotlights dimmed. Roxas was nowhere to be seen. Sora was back in the padded room, face to face with Dr. Trepe.

"Where am I?" he asked quickly. "What happened to the crowd? Where'd Kairi go?"

"Sora, we've been over this," Quistis explained calmly. "The lack of medication is causing you to hallucinate. Whatever you think you saw, it wasn't real." Sora shook his head defiantly. It was real, he convinced himself. He was in an arena, battling for his life. And somewhere, Kairi stopped him from overloading. "It's time for our hypnosis session. We'll begin by bringing up memories from your childhood." Quistis' voice faded away as Sora's mind wandered.

It was real! I know it was! Wasn't it…?

There was nothing Sora hated more than not knowing the answer to something he figured he should have. Was the stadium and the crowd a product of his overactive imagination? Or was it Roxas trying to trick him into going on a rampage?

"Sora, are you listening to me?" Quistis interrupted his train of thought. "Please close your eyes. We don't have much time." Sora focused and did as he was instructed.

OOOoooOOO

Day 2

Quistis wasn't joking when she said the sessions would be more intense. Each time they ended one part of the hypnosis, it would leave Sora with a severe headache, but due to Quistis' strict policy of no medication, he wasn't even allowed to take painkillers to quell the storm in his head. There were several sessions in the previous day, each lasting about 2 hours each, and each causing aching migraines for Sora. Quistis had prioritized her patients, sending ones like Zell to the other doctors at the hospital, while she focused solely on Sora. But despite the number of sessions, Sora felt like they were getting nowhere. He couldn't understand how his childhood memories had anything to do with why Roxas was trying to kill him and drive him mad. Quistis had explained that the reasons were obvious why Roxas was doing what he was doing. It was revenge, plain and simple. Roxas cared for Naminé and saw Sora as the murderer. Quistis said they were trying to find a resolution to calm his soul.

The following night was extremely tough. Sora slept for about an hour before nightmares overcame him once again. After that, he became restless, not letting his eyes shut for more than a moment. Whatever horrors he was experiencing in the waking world were ten times worse when he slept. He felt venerable in his dreams because he wasn't in complete control over his actions. He hated that semi-lucid state everyone experiences when they dream. It also didn't help that when he dreamed, he still couldn't move due to the straight jacket, but in his dream-state, he couldn't remember that, so it increased his panic. He figured he was just better off not sleeping at all. It was only three days after all, he told himself.

He did things to keep himself busy and distracted while waiting for Quistis to return for the morning session. He supposed that as along as his mind was elsewhere, he wouldn't have any delusions. He paced the room, muttering to himself, making lists of things he'd like to do before he turned 25 years old, his favourite foods, the names of every single person he met on his journeys, things like that.

"Let's see," he mumbled. "There was Jack Sparrow… no, no, Jack Skellington. No, wait, it was Sparrow. Or… Jack O'lantern? Can't remember, moving on. Will Turner, Elizabeth, the pirates, Aladdin, the Genie, the monkey, Carpet…"

"What are you doing?" Sora ignored Roxas. "You sound like a nutter." The blonde Nobody was sitting on the ceiling the way someone would regularly sit on the floor.

"Beast and Belle, Mulan, Ariel, Sebastian, Yen Sid, Squall…"

"Stop ignoring me. That's rude."

"You tried to kill me!" Sora blurted out, but quickly snapped his mouth shut when he remembered he was supposed to be pretending Roxas wasn't there. He averted his eyes and resumed his pacing. "Cloud, Aeris, Yuffie, Tifa…"

"That won't work forever, you know. I'm in your head. I know you can hear me."

"Hayner, Pence, Olette," Sora's voice was getting louder to counteract Roxas. However, the last few names struck a cord in Roxas and he dropped down from the ceiling, landing on his feet with cat-like grace.

"Those aren't your friends," he hissed with a hint of warning and possessiveness in his voice. "Those were MY friends! The only reason you spoke to them was because of me!"

"They didn't even know who you were," Sora retorted. "Your friends were computer simulations." Roxas looked like he wanted to dispute that statement, but stopped, his face going sad. Sora watched on in confusion.

"It felt real…" the Nobody whispered. Sora felt a pang of sympathy. He was starting understand something about Roxas. The blonde was always jealous of Sora. Here Sora was, a human who used to be a Heartless. Heartless weren't supposed to turn back into humans. Roxas must've felt cheated that he wasn't presented with that option of being human again. All he wanted was to be 'real', whatever that may be. Then he was kidnapped and used by DiZ to recover Sora's memories. It must've hurt that everyone saw him as just a tool.

Why did he choose you?

Sora remembered fighting Roxas all those years ago in the World that Never Was. He had asked Sora why Riku chose Sora over the blonde. But it became clear to him why. Riku and Sora were friends. Roxas had no friends, aside from Axel and Naminé. And their friendship wasn't entirely real. It was a series of faked emotions on everyone's part.

"I'm sorry…" Sora whispered, slowly approaching the brooding Roxas. He felt the need to apologize for his previous statement and for some other reason he couldn't put a name to. When he was within arm's reach (even though his arms were bound), Roxas suddenly spun around and hit Sora across the face, sending the brunette crashing painfully to the ground.

"I don't need your sympathy!" he spat at the fallen boy. "You've had everything your whole life! You don't know what it's like to be told that you're not real and you should never have existed! You're a Somebody - you have everything! You took what little I had away from me! I had one thing left and that was Naminé! And you took her too!" There was a flash of light as Roxas summoned just the Oblivion to his side and swung at Sora. The brunette only had a split second to roll out of the way in time.

Not this again! Sora cursed his misfortune. It seemed everything angered the Nobody and it was becoming a frequent occurrence to be dodging his attacks every time he showed up. Part of Sora was tempted to see what would happen if he just gave up. Would he be harmed at all, since Roxas wasn't a corporeal being? Or would he suffer psychological harm like last time when he lost his voice?

Choosing not to risk it, he continued to roll out of the way. He didn't have time to get to his feet. Roxas' attacks were wilder and more violent. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to avoid being struck. Suddenly, Sora found himself rolling into what felt like a deep body of water with no signs of a bottom. With his arms still restrained, he wasn't able to right himself and swim to the surface. It was like he was being dragged through the water to his death. He held his breath for as long as possible. He was running out of time. The murky waters of whatever pool he fell into surrounded him, threatening to enter his nostrils and mouth. Panic filled the brunette. He was going to drown any minute, the moment he gasped for breath. But not if he transformed into his Final Form…

Sora cried out, unable to hold his breath any longer. Instead of water infiltrating his lungs, he received a gulp of much needed air. His eyes opened. He was no longer sinking to a watery grave; he was still in his room, dry as a sandy desert. Roxas was gone.

Another hallucination…

It occurred to him that Roxas was trying very hard to get Sora to break free from his bindings and escape the psychiatric hospital. But to what end? Sora thought long and hard about it now that Roxas was leaving him alone.

"Maybe I'm close to finding something he doesn't want me to find," Sora muttered to himself. "Maybe I'm about to uncover something huge and he's trying to get me to leave so Quistis can't uncover it. Or maybe he's trying to halt my progress long enough to let the doctors take me away in two days." He looked up when the door opened and an orderly walked in with a tray of food along with Quistis.

"Good morning," she greeted. "Any luck sleeping?" Sora shook his head. "I was afraid of that." She sighed as she took the tray from the orderly and dismissed him. "I hope you like oatmeal. Lord knows I don't." She sat down next to Sora and scooped up some of the soggy oats, regarding it with a grimace. One look at the bowl and Sora felt like he wanted to gag. It wasn't that he hated oatmeal – he loved it, in fact – it was just that his lack of medication meant food would start taking the forms of rather unpleasant things again.

"I'm not eating a bowl of maggots," Sora grumbled, regarding what his mind's eye saw, and he turned away. Quistis looked at the spoon and back at Sora. It immediately clicked and she pushed the tray away.

"Right, sorry. I should have just brought you toast. Would you like me to get some for you?"

"No, don't go!" Sora suddenly gasped. "When I'm all alone, the visions start up again." He didn't want to admit it, but he was becoming terrified of those moments when he was all by himself. It was nice having company – preferably company that wasn't trying to murder him with a Keyblade.

"Sora, you need to eat something."

"It's just two days! I can go without food for two days! Just don't go yet!" Quistis stood up. "Wait!" She made her way to the door but stopped, calling over a nurse and sending her to retrieve the food. Once that was done, she sat back down beside Sora, much to his silent relief.

"There, that wasn't so bad." Sora smiled faintly. He didn't know when it happened, but he grew to enjoy Quistis' company very much. He was an only child in his family – no brothers or sisters to speak of - so Quistis was like the big sister he never had. She was so understanding.

"Thank you…" he whispered to the floor beneath his feet. It wasn't entirely his intention for Quistis to hear him, even though the gratitude was directed at her, but if she did hear, it was no problem. Of course, she did hear, and she smiled back at him.

"Anytime," she said to the ceiling, mimicking Sora's avoidance of directly speaking to the person intended. "Let's get on with our sessions while we wait for your food, shall we?"

OOOoooOOO

Day 3

Quistis breathed a heavy sigh. Today was the final day she had with Sora and she felt she was no closer to solving his problem than before. If anything, she felt pressured by the board of medical directors and it was causing her to not think completely straight. She needed a clear mind in order to think of possible areas to explore in Sora's mind, but with such a limited timeframe, she felt stressed.

Strewn across her desk were all the notes that Xehonart and Ansem the Wise had made about the Heartless and Nobodies. It was so much information and much of it contradicted the other, so making sense of it all was near impossible. She felt this was out of her league. She needed more time to study Sora. But time was not a luxury she had.

This was the first time her job made her want to scream and stamp her feet like a child. Her calm, cool, collected exterior was cracking.

"There has to be something here that can help me…" she whispered.

She glanced at her clock. It was 3:45pm. She had less than 3 hours before Dr. Magus went to review her progress and check on the patient. If Sora wasn't deemed sane by 6:00pm, a couple of police officers would take him away in their cruiser and he'd be charged with assault of the medical staff. Then, she was sure, after they had a look at her notes, no matter that they were confidential, they'd charge Sora with the murder of Kairi. Quistis could already picture how the court proceedings would go. He wouldn't be able to plea insanity because he was quite sound of mind the night of the accident. His dementia was a result of accident. He'd be found guilty and he'd go to prison for the rest of his life.

"No pressure," Quistis said to herself, rubbing her tires eyes. She didn't even care if she lost her job after this disaster. All she cared was that Sora be allowed to live his life like he did before. She had never met someone as pure-hearted and sweet as Sora. It would be unfair for him to suffer punishment for something he didn't mean to do.

The problem wasn't in the nature of the Heartless or Nobodies or anyone's past. The problem was that Roxas saw Sora as the murderer of his love interest. So there had to be some way to convince him that it really was an accident. If he could be shown that, then perhaps it'd quell his anger towards his Other. Perhaps he could finally lay dormant in Sora's mind in peace.

She sighed again. Going over her notes on the session where they replayed the accident, she read something that Sora claimed he heard Kairi say. It was garbled up, unintelligible. Perhaps another language…?

"Yehk woh sih nethfeervet…" Quistis read off the paper. She repeated the phrase several times, trying to decipher it.

Her head shot up from her sleepy stupor. She had a sudden revelation. She knew what had to be done. They had to revisit the night of Kairi's death.

Not bothering to clean off her desk, she rushed off to room 205. But the scene before her was a frightening one. The concrete door looked like it had been blown off its hinges from an explosion within the room. The two orderlies who normally stood on guard were slumped over, one bleeding from the head. Quistis stepped over them and peered into the empty padded room. The only sign that someone had actually occupied the room at some point was the shredded straight jacket on the ground.

"Sora!" she called down the hall. Where had he gone? She quickly checked for a pulse in each man on the ground and when she was sure they'd be fine, she rushed off to find the distraught young man on the loose. "Sora!" Further down the hall and around the corner, there was an open window. Quistis stared out, wondering if he would have really leapt from the second story of the building. There was a flicker of movement on the ground near the perimeter of the courtyard outside. She could make out a figure scaling the wall to escape.

"Sora!" she screamed towards the figure. He ignored her. She changed her tactics. "Roxas!" The figure stopped and looked back. Feeling bold, Quistis climbed out the window. 'It's not that far down…' she told herself. She dove off, landing harshly on the ground below. Luckily, she didn't break anything like she thought she might've, but she was still sore from her landing. "Roxas wait!" She began running as fast as she could. The closer she got, the clearer she could see her brunette patient sitting on the top of the large wall surround the hospital grounds. He was dressed in just a pair of sweatpants. It was like he was waiting for her. Once she was standing next to the wall, she took a moment to catch her breath. "Please…" she gasped, taking a deep breath. "Don't run away…" Roxas, controlling Sora's body once again, regarded her with little interest. "We can work through this! Just give me a chance; I think I figured it out!"

"Figured what out? How to suppress me?" Roxas asked coldly. "Force me into the shadows?"

"No!" Quistis said, shaking her head. "No, we need to go back to the night of the accident! Kairi tried to say something! I think she was trying to say something that would have saved Sora a good deal of grief if he weren't so in shock to hear it. You have to let me speak to him, please!" Roxas pretended to consider it.

"Nope, Sora's not home." He prepared to jump off the wall to freedom. He suddenly froze as if someone just zapped him with electricity. "Quistis, grab me, quick!" The icy edge was gone from his voice. It was Sora. "Quickly, before I lose control again! I can't move!" Quistis had to jump high to wrap her hands around his waist and pull him down. They landed in a disheveled heap on the grass. "We don't have much time before he takes over again!"

"Sora, you're stronger than that," urged Quistis. "You can fight it!"

"No, I can't!" Sora sat up and pressed his back against the brick wall, breathing heavily. "Put me to sleep, right here."

"What?!"

"You said something about figuring out what Kairi's last words were. Put me to sleep so I can uncover them! Hurry!" Nodding fervently, Quistis walked Sora through the necessary steps to get him in a semi-sleep state.

"Bring up the accident!" she said quickly. Sora's mind flashed to life as he recalled the night when everything went wrong. "Go to the part where Kairi is trying to speak, but play it backwards." Sora would have given Quistis a strange look if he could. Instead, he followed her directions.

He leaned in close, cradling Kairi's dying body. The background around him seemed to fade away. His heart was pounding so hard he was afraid he'd miss Kairi's last words again due to the noise in his ears. He proceeded to play the memory in reverse and held his breath. All background noise vanished as if a vacuum somehow sucked it all out.

"…It's okay…" she whispered. "Everything is okay…"

Sora felt a shiver run down his spine.

All this time, she was trying to comfort him in her dying breaths. She forgave him and he had no idea until now.

"Oh my god…" he whispered. "Everything is okay…?" He felt a surge of emotions well up inside him, the one holding dominance being relief and happiness. The scene before him faded into darkness and his mind went blank.

He gasped when he opened his eyes, taking a deep breath for the first time in many minutes. He was standing atop of the great stain-glass platform once again. The light below his feet gave off a faint glow. He felt at peace for the first time in a long time. His ears perked up when he heard a soft sobbing noise across the platform. His heart seemed to stop. Sitting on the edge with his feet dangling over was none other than Roxas. His back was to Sora and his shoulders were slumped over, shaking slightly. Sora approached him with caution, unsure if this was just another trick. The closer he got, the louder the sobbing became. Was Roxas crying? Sora reached out as he got nearer and placed his hand slowly and softly on Roxas' shoulder. The blonde made no movement to suggest he was even aware of his Other behind him.

"Roxas…?" Sora whispered, getting just a bit closer. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to ask why his Nobody was crying, but at the same time, he wanted to run away, far away from his homicidal counterpart. "What… what's wrong?" He heard several snivels and coughs as the blonde tried to regain some semblance of composure.

"Everything…" he gasped out quietly, rubbing his eyes furiously. Sora grew confused. Roxas managed a chuckle in between sobs. "So this is what crying is like? God…" He looked over his shoulder. "I didn't know…" Sora's eyebrows knitted together in puzzlement. Roxas opened his mouth to speak but was unable to pick suitable words. He finally settled on, "I don't even know where to begin telling you how sorry I am. But I know that simply saying sorry won't take back the months of anguish I caused you."

"Wha…?" Now the brunette was seriously confused. "You're sorry? For what?"

"For what?!" Roxas laughed bitterly. "You're kidding, right?" Sora shook his head. "I drove you crazy! Literally! All because I was exactly revenge on Naminé's behalf, but all this time, she… they forgave you for what happened. Do you know how foolish I feel at this moment?" Sora shook his head again, this time more sadly. Roxas turned back to the abyss, hiding his face in his hands. "It's like… a veil has been lifted from my eyes. One minute, I was blinded by rage and vengeance, the next minute, Kairi's words struck me to my core and… my anger just disappeared… I can't explain it."

"I think I know what you mean…" Sora replied and took a seat next to Roxas on the ledge. "I can already feel the shroud of… insanity -" He laughed at that word. "-wearing off. It's just so… consoling to know that… her last moments alive… she was in no pain. Everything was okay…"

"It still is," said a voice behind the two boys. They both turned rapidly and sprung to their feet. Standing there, hand in hand, was Kairi and Naminé, a soft glow cast over their heads. "I'm happy to see you two have finally made up." Kairi smiled sweetly.

"KAIRI!" Sora cried.

"NAMINÉ!" Roxas called out. The two young men ran to their respective girls. Sora lifted Kairi off the ground, spinning her around in circles while Roxas gave Naminé a crushing warm hug, happy to be in her presence once again.

"Oh my god, I've missed you," Sora rambled. "I've missed you so much! I can't believe you're here! I'm never letting go! Never, never…"

"Whoa, c'mon now," Kairi said with merriment in her voice. "I'm getting dizzy!" Sora planted her firmly on the ground and took a step back to admire the woman he loved. She hadn't changed much, but that was to be expected. He suddenly felt cold inside.

"This is real, right? I'm not dreaming?" he asked quickly. Naminé and Kairi exchanged looks. "Please, no! Tell me I'm not dreaming!"

"All I can tell you is that I'm really Kairi, but this isn't the real world. We're inside your mind." Sora's face faltered. For a moment, he was filled to the brim with happiness and joy he thought he'd never experience again without Kairi in his life. And now that happiness was being drained from him. "Please don't be sad. We came to deliver a message."

"You're not staying?" he asked desperately. Kairi quickly gave him a hug before he could get distraught.

"I never left you. I've been with you all this time! I just couldn't communicate with you before!" She looked him in the eye. "I love you. I always wanted to tell you." Sora was overcome with emotion again.

"I love you too!" His voice was breaking and it was getting difficult to breathe.

"I never blamed you for what happened. Not once! You don't know how painful it's been to watch you descend into madness because of me. Promise me something." There was a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Anything!"

"Promise me you'll move on! Promise you'll find happiness! Please!" Sora felt a tear roll down his cheek.

"I… I can't…"

"You have to!" Her hands were starting to fade. She looked at Naminé. The blonde was talking quietly with Roxas. They smiled at one another before Naminé gave Roxas a shy kiss. Her form was starting to disappear as well. Kairi turned back to Sora. "Sora, I don't have much time. Please, this may be the last time I get to see you. I need to know that you'll be happy without me!" Sora tried to swallow, but his throat felt swollen. Hesitantly, he nodded.

"I will…" he whispered. "I promise…" Kairi broke into a smile. She went to back up, but Sora gently grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into one final kiss goodbye. He felt his grip loosen as her body disappeared and he was left with a tingle on his lips before he opened his eyes. Kairi and Naminé were gone.

"Goodbye…" he heard a voice say as if the wind breathed Kairi's voice. Roxas stood beside Sora in the same shocked stupor. Sora's expression went blank. That was it. She was really gone this time. The reality of it all settled into his brain. He grasped onto Roxas' shoulder when he felt his legs give out. The blonde helped him to the floor where the two sat, leaning on each for support, neither having the strength to get up. They were silent for a long time.

"I'll never see her again," Sora whispered, breaking the silence. Roxas nodded sadly.

"But… we promised them to move on and find happiness elsewhere," he said.

"I don't know if I can."

"You promised." He looked at Sora. "Remember what you told Lulu? The pain will ease. So let it."

There was a flash of light and Sora found himself waking up on some soft damp grass.

"Sora?" There was a concerned voice coming from above him. Sora recognized it as Quistis. "Sora! Speak to me!"

"I'm awake…" he whispered, his throat still tight and dry. He felt droplets of water splashing against his cheek. "Is it raining?" Quistis gaped at him.

"No… you're crying… You've been crying for the last half hour in your sleep!" Sora sat up, brushing away the tears that wouldn't stop flowing. "What happened?" He couldn't explain it at the moment. He hadn't cried once after Kairi's death except one time when his medication left him feeling loopy. It was like his body had spent the last few months suppressing his grief and tears, and now that he wasn't suffering from dementia, his grief was catching up with him. He got the feeling that he'd be crying for a long time after his sadness dissipated.

"Everything's okay now…" he whispered.

OOOoooOOO

In the days that followed Sora's recovery, he underwent review by Dr. Magus so he could be deemed sane and discharged from the hospital. The day he was allowed to leave, he lingered around his room, vowing to never forget his experience at that hospital. He took his time packing since Riku wasn't due to pick him up for about an hour. There was a knock at the door. Sora looked over his shoulder to see Zell leaning on the doorframe.

"I heard you're not crazy anymore," he said, grinning ear to ear. "That's a pity. I liked you better when you were."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Sora replied, grinning as well. "Come to say goodbye?"

"How 'bout 'see you later'? I hope you won't forget us little people here when you're back among the boring sane ones." They shared a laugh. Then Sora remembered something.

"About that… I remembered you mentioning something. About your memories returning slowly." Sora pulled a photo out of his wallet. "Is this the guy from your memories?" He showed the photo of Squall with the other Restoration Committee members standing in Radiant Garden. Zell snatched it and examined it with awe.

"It is! You know him?" His voice was full of excitement.

"I know this is going to sound crazy-"

"Hello? We're in a psychiatric hospital."

"Shaddup. Like I was saying, this might sound crazy, but he's from another world far from this one. Your home was a place called Radiant Garden. His named is Squall." Zell had a serious look on his face.

"You serious? I'm from another world?" Sora nodded enthusiastically. "Then how do I get back?" He thoughtfully put his hand to his chin.

"Well, a friend of mine was able to traverse worlds just by believing hard enough that he could." Sora was of course referring to Beast when he had been trying to track down Belle. "Maybe if you believe and concentrate, you'll make it there too." Zell would have been skeptical three months ago, but after meeting Sora and seeing the things he could do, Zell was ready to believe anything.

"Thanks buddy. You know, I'm gonna miss having you around." Sora smiled warmly.

"Same here." They embraced before Sora grabbed his suitcase and left the room. He popped his head back in for just a moment to say, "Oh by the way, you and Quistis should totally get over your inhibitions and make out or something. Seriously." Zell's eyes went wide as he blushed furiously. "You're not the only one who likes 'people watching'. Toodles!" Sora disappeared from the doorway again, leaving a very embarrassed Zell.

Sora continued making his way to the main entrance. He was somewhat surprised to see Vincent and Lulu standing there waiting for him.

"You didn't think you'd get to leave without saying goodbye, did you?" Lulu asked slyly. "You're not that sneaky."

"Oh damn," Sora said sarcastically. "So close." He set his bag down and gave Lulu a big hug. He turned to give one to Vincent, but the red-clad man shot him a warning look, so Sora chose instead to give Vincent a handshake. "I'll miss you guys." They nodded. Sora turned to Garnet, who was sitting behind the reception desk. "Um… Nurse Garnet, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about the whole 'threatening to kill you' business."

"Oh don't you worry," Garnet said brightly. "No harm done!" Sora smiled. He heard the front door open and there was a familiar mop of silver hair.

"Riku!" Sora cheered, rushing the poor man before he had a chance to gather his bearings, knocking them both down.

"Hi Sora," he said in a muffled voice. "Get off me."

"Sorry!" Sora leapt to his feet and helped Riku up. "It's just that I've really missed you! Those are my friends, Vincent, Lulu, and Garnet." Riku awkwardly waved to them and they waved back (sans Vincent). Sora grabbed his bag and made his way to the door. Standing just on the other side was Quistis.

"Hey kiddo," she greeted. "What'd I tell ya? You're sane like the rest of us. Didn't I promise you from the start that we'd get you all healed up?" Sora laughed warmly and gave her a long hug. "Don't forget to visit us sometimes. You don't have to be crazy to say hi every now and then."

"I'll visit you guys real soon. Thank you so much for everything. You could've lost your job over me." Quistis waved her hand as if to say 'It was nothing.'

"Somewhere down the line, it stopped being a job and it became just helping my friends when they needed it most." She turned Sora around and gave him a playful shove towards Riku's car. "Now go on. Get back to reality." She waved as Sora got in the car.

"Bye!" All his friends were standing outside as Riku started the engine.

"All ready to go?" Riku asked. Sora nodded, his eyes shining. He took one last look at his friends, waving happily before they left the building, leaving it behind in their car. Once they were a good distance away, Sora let his exaggerated happiness dwindle down. "So… how'd everything go? Tell me everything!" Riku was ecstatic about finally getting a chance to speak with Sora. It felt like months and months since he had his best friend truly back.

"It's a long story, but since it's a long drive, I think we have time," Sora said, a wistful smile never leaving his face, despite the tears he finally let slide down his face. Riku glanced over, concerned.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I'll understand."

"Oh, don't mind the tears," Sora said. "I'm just catching up on lost grieving time." Riku wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but he figured it was normal for the moment. He was just thrilled at finally having his best friend back. Sora allowed himself to relax for the car ride home as he retold the events from the past month and a half at the psychiatric hospital. It felt so good to get it all off his chest. Riku listened intently without interrupting. When Sora had finished, there was a long period of silence. It was a comfortable silence that only two best friends could share after spending a lifetime together.

"So what are you going to do now?" Riku asked quietly as they pulled into the driveway of their home. Sora thought about it for a few moments.

"Go back to school. Get a degree. Get a job. Live my life." It sounded drab and boring in comparison to his exciting life prior to returning to the islands, but after this whole insanity mess, all he wanted was a nice quiet life. "There's one thing left to do before I can move on."

OOOoooOOO

About a week had past since Sora had arrived home and settled back into his life. He stood on a hillside holding a bouquet of roses in his hand. The wind howled loudly past his ears, ruffling his clothes and hair. The day was overcast with a chance of rain. He was unbothered by the weather conditions. It wasn't like he was out there for a picnic anyway. He was finally visiting the place he had avoided for many months. He kneeled slowly before a marked grave that read "Kairi, beloved daughter and friend to many". Without a word, he placed the roses on her grave. He could hear Roxas murmuring words in his head, but they weren't at all threatening or frightening. They were comforting and soothing. Sora was never happier to have an Other who understood the pain he was going through and could relate.

Once Sora was done paying his respects, he walked away from the grave with a sense of closure in his heart. He knew that even though he couldn't see Kairi anymore, she was still in his heart. He felt he finally had the strength to move on with his life, just like she wanted. Sora smiled.

"Everything is okay…"

OoOoOoO

Fin

OOOoooOOO

A/N: Well it's over. Chalk full of clichés and cheesy moments. Sorry about that. I've sorta had this all planned out for months and months, and the way it played out in my head was like a movie. As we all know, movies are just ripe for clichés. :P But to be honest, I was near tears when I wrote some of those final scenes. I hope I conveyed the emotions I wanted.

I know many of you have had Kairi's last words worked out since like chapter 5, but the point was that Sora and Quistis didn't work it out until now, which I think adds to dramatic effect. Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated! I stayed up very late to get this last chapter done!